dropping out of high school

[1104]

INTP dissatisfaction with school goes without saying, and several people on the forum said that they would have dropped out if they had thought of it. at least one has dropped out, successfully. but.

this is a discussion. go.

i.e. not an advice thread.

[bluebell]

In Australia, it would likely be a bad idea unless you want to start an apprenticeship or similar. The US probably has better options with community colleges and whatnot.

[avolkiteshvara]

I went to highschool on average about 2-3 days a week. I was a functional dropout I suppose.

Doing it all over again, I would've finished my last two years at community college like the organized smart kids did.



I couldn't take highschool seriously.

[!diom]

If in the US, then drop out at 16, get your GED, and enroll in a community college. However, some community colleges won't take you unless you're at least 18 -- unless you bitch and moan and get special permission.

[MoneyJungle]

I dropped out/got expelled as soon as possible. In retrospect, high school is too damn easy not to savor. The real world isn't all that different from high school with the exception of longer hours and less narcotic availability. If you would take community college seriously, I'd say to go with it, but if you are lazy I'd advise you to stay in school. Or if you don't intend to go to college, there really is no difference between a GED and a diploma, in my experience. I assume the dumbest person on this website could easily pass a GED exam.

[Neville]

High school is a waste of time. GED->Comm. College-> University of your choice.

[Karl]

I say I would have, but I actually wouldn't have sense I had so many issues going on at the time. Are you really ready at that age? It's not necessarily even a matter of maturity. I would have done well to at least take community college classes during the summer, which could have come pretty close to a 2 year degree by the time I graduated.

I did find community college classes to be roughly on the same level of difficulty as high school classes, but with more advanced material. And, if you weren't ready for that, there were "developmental" classes, most which would contribute to your diploma either for electives or specific things. The biggest difference with highschool is that you have to (and get to) organize your time on your own and figure out how to do things. If you want help, you usually have to ask for it, too, although I had one teacher who was hell bent on not teaching us anything and just evaluating our current level of ability. I basically continued to BS through it like I did in high school, partially through familiarity with the course material and partly through my ability to memorize information more easily than other people. I got mediocre grades like I did in highschool

There was one person who said that he had spent some time at a relatively prestigious college that was nearby, and that he thought the community college classes were better. I think these are a great choice, and if you go on to a university you get the same bachelor you would have gotten anyway. Supposedly Universities are better "socially," but I think that's mostly just if you like drinking, parties, etc. Which maybe you do. If you don't and aren't in an extremely isolated area, there are probably activities in your community that would be interesting to you, although you would be interacting with a wider age group and you might have to ask around to find them. You can seek these kinds of things out while at a university too, though.

[gardnerj]

i was thinking seriously about doing this. I was afraid of change. So I didn't. Looking back, I see a lot of bullshit. It makes me wonder if someday I will look back to today and see bullshit and wish I had left.

I'm drunk.

[Chucklebug]

I would say that if you find the subjects at high school interesting, and you have a clear idea of what you want to study in College later on - stay in high school. However, if you hate to study, or find high school too easy, or there are so many things you would love to learn but can't in high school - drop out. Let me clarify, if you are motivated to learn on your own, to choose your own path, to make your own opportunities in life, dropping out is a viable idea. But if you don't know what you want, if you're unmotivated, unambitious, if you need outside pressure in order to get anything done - then staying in high school is probably the better idea. I like to think that I would've made something of myself on my own, without school, but I highly doubt it (but then I haven't made something of myself yet, to be honest). Anyway, the answer really boils down to how you answer the questions - What do you want from life? How many risks are you willing to take? Is it possible to get where you want to go without high school?

[Mr.Defense]

DO IT. Learn how to make money and survive in society. School teach you shit that is useless in the real world.

better yet, go to a foreign country and make your way out of nothing with no money. Travel around and have an adventure.

If I was 12-13 again, this is what I would have done.